Rotary valve regenerator



Feb. l, 1955 w. D. YERRlcK 2,701,129

ROTARY VALVE REGENERATOR Filed March 5, 1952 I 2 shets-sheer 1 w/ MM n. YE/PR/c'k INVENToR.

BY 0MM v Feb. 1, 1955 w. D. YERRICK 2,701,129 ROTARY VALVE REGENERATOR Filed March 5, 1952 2 sheets-sheer 2 INVENTOR. M//LL/HM D. YER Q/c K United States Patent O ROTARY VALVE REGENERATOR William D. Yerrick, Wellsville, N. Y., assignor to The Air Preheater Corporation, New York, N. Y.

Application March 5, 1952, Serial No. 274,854

3 Claims. (Cl. 257-6) The present invention relates to heat exchange apparatus and particularly to improvements in regenerative preheaters.

The invention is particularly concerned with regenerative preheaters in which a body of heat exchange material is rst contacted by a heating gas and subsequently traversed by another gas, such as air, to which the heat is imparted. Regenerative preheaters are known, both those of the types in which the mass of heat exchange material is moved with respect to the streams of gas and air and other types in which the mass of material is stationary and the alternate llow of the gaseous fluids thereover is controlled by valve means. The invention particularly contemplates improvements in a rotary valve type of regenerative preheater to render it more compact, simple in construction and suitable for use with gases at high pressures.

The invention will be best understood from consideration of the following description of an illustrative ernbodiment of the invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic elevational view of a gas turbine plant equipped with a regenerator embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical elevation on a larger scale of the regenerator shown in Figure l.

Figures 3 and 4 are transverse sectional Views on the correspondingly designated section lines of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a sectional elevation on the line 5-5 in Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a perspective view on a reduced scale of one of the rotary gas flow valves shown in Figure 2.

Figures 7 and 8 are sectional views along correspondingly designated section lines in Figure 2 showing sealing devices between the rotary valves and adjacent casing parts.

Figure 9 is a vertical elevation of the regenerator showing the rotary valves turned 90 from the position shown in Figure 2.

In Figure l the numeral 10 designates an air compressor from which the air passes through a conduit 11 to the regenerator 12 from which the heated air flows to the combustor 13 and then to the gas turbine 14. The exhaust from turbine 14 flows through a duct 15 so that heat is recovered therefrom in the regenerator 12 and the cooled gas is discharged through outlet 16.

The regenerator 14 of Figure 1 is shown in detail in Figures 2 to 8; it comprises an outer casing 24 which through frustro-conical at either end is generally cylindrical and closed at each end except for gas inlet 15 and outlet 16 within casing 24 is an annular heat exchange mass or core 26. The annular heat exchange mass 26 is made up of a plurality of wedge shaped compartments 28 defined by radial partitions 30, 31 extending between inner and outer circular wall members 33, 34 that bound the mass 26. The wedge shaped compartments 28 contain foraminous heat absorbing material and are circumferentially spaced from each other by spacing the adjacent radial partitions 30, 31 so as to form between them air conduits 32 that extend from the marginal annular space 35 between the outer casing 24 and the annular heat exchange core 26 to the central chamber within the inner circular wall 33 that bounds the annular core 26, This inner circular space is divided into air inlet and outlet chambers 36, 37 by a diametrically extending wall 38 which is in alignment with the radial partitions 39 so that the space between the outer casing 24 and the annular parallel to the axis of' either valve.

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heat exchange mass 26 is divided into the inlet manifold 25 supplied by the duct 11 and the air outlet manifold 27 from which heated air is taken oil through the duct 16.

As appears in Figures 2 and 4, sleeves 41, 42 which are in effect parts or extensions of the circular inner wall 33 bounding the annular heat exchange core 26 are formed with circumferentially spaced ports 43, 44 which are circumferentially located in the sleeves 41, 42 above and below the circular Wall proper 33. The ports 43, 44 are at circumferential locations between rather than in axial alignment with the spaced air conduits 32 formed through the core. Thus, gas and air may flow to and from the upper and lower parts of the central space of the regenerator to enter and leave the compartments 28 that contain heat exchange material through the ports 42, 43 in the inner walls of the compartments. The air conduits 32 that lie intermediate the compartments 28 extend up and down into the sleeves 41, 42 as appears at 46 and 47 in Figure 5 between the ports 43 or 44 but are separated from the upper and lower parts of the central spaces 36, 38 by closure bars 48 so that the air owing in the conduits 32 does not mingle with either gas or air passing through the ports 46, 47 to or from the central space of the regenerator. The middle portion of the central space 36, bounded by diametrically extending wall 38 within the heat exchange core 28 is divided into an air inlet chamber 50 and air outlet chamber 51 (Figure 2) by convex semi-circular or conical diaphragms 53, 54 extending outwardly from the upper and lower ends of a center sleeve 55 which is part of partition 38 (Figure 3) to the inner circular wall 33 of the core 28 respectively at the upper end of the sleeve 55 on one side of the diametric diaphragm 38 and at the lower end of the sleeve on the other side as appears in Figure 2.

A shaft 58 extending through the central sleeve 55 drives a pair of rotary valve members 60, 61 one of which is shown in perspective in Figure 6. The valve members are more or less spool or drum like in form consisting of arcuately spaced ring members 63 joined at circumferentially spaced intervals by the columns 64 extending Convexly curved diaphragms 65, 66 (Figures 4 and 6) extend across the central part of the valve member and are spaced to set otf a central air space 67 within the valve, this being closed at the top side (Figure 6) by an irregularly shaped Web plate 68. The other side of air `space 67 in either valve opens toward air inlet and outlet chambers 50, 51. At the lower end of the valve member the spaces between the transverse diaphragms 65, 66 and the ring 63 are closed by sector shaped plates 70. The column members 63 of the rotary Valve carry circumferential seals 71 held against the inner surface of the sleeves 41, 42 by the spring 72 (Figure 7) while the vertical columns 64 carry sealing shoes 73 pressed by springs 74 against the sleeve 41 or 42. The valve members 60, 61 at either end of the regenerator are similar in construction but are reversed or upside down with respect to each other as appears in Figure 2.

The middle portion of the heat exchange core in each compartment 28 may be made up of a plurality of metallic plates 80 that are formed with a plurality of passages or perforations 81 with the material therefrom bent to form tab-like extensions as in Holm Patent 2,558,752 dated July 3, 1951, while the upper and lower sections of each compartment 28 contain heat absorbing material in the form of metallic screens or grids 83. The air conduits 32 at least in their vertically middle portions are provided with zig-zag folded or corrugated plates 84 which not only serve to brace the walls of the passages 32 but also constitute heat transfer surface therein.

With the construction described above, air from the compressor 10 flows to the regenerator 12 through the duct 11 and enters the air inlet manifold 25. The air then flows through the radial conduits 32 between the compartmetns 28 to the central air chamber 36 and being confined to downward ilow by the conical diaphragm 53 flows down through the centrally located air port 71 at the upper end of the lower valve 61 to the central air space 67 (Figure 4) within the valve, which space is bounded laterally by the transverse diaphragms 65, 66. The air leaves from both sides of the space 67 to pass through the ports 43 and 44 into the lower ends of compartments 28 at both sides of the axis of the regenerator. The air then ilows over wire mesh surfaces 83 and the tab surface 80 in the compartments 28 that then communicate with the air space 67 of the valve 61 and flowing upwardly is discharged through the ports 43 and 43A into the central air space 67A of the upper valve 62 entering the latter from both ends of the space to flow downwardly through the port 69A into the air outlet chamber 51 at the right side of diametrical partition 38 (Figure 3). From the air outlet chamber 51 the air flows through air conduits 32 at the right hand side of the partitions 38 and 39 into the air outlet manifold 27 to be taken olf through the duct 16 on its way to the combustor 13 (Figure l).

While air flows to the regenerator, as described above, gas entering at the top through the duct 15 and flowing into the spaces 80 and 81 at either side of the diaphragms 65 and 66 in the upper air valve 60, being excluded from the air space 67 by the web 68. From the gas spaces 80, 81 of the upper valve 60 the gas flows laterally and radially through ports 43, 43A into those compartments 28 that are located within the area bounded by the opposite ends of the two diaphragms 65 and 66 that extend across the central part of the valve. Entering the compartments 28 at their upper ends, the gas flows downwardly over the wire and tabbed heat absorbing surface therein and discharging through corresponding ports 44 at the lower portions of the compartments flows into the gas spaces 80, 81 in the lower valve 61 and outwardly through the ports 80, 81 at the lower end of the valve at either side of the web like parts 65, 66 to pass into the gas discharge conduit 16.

By making the end portions of the compartments frustro-conical all of the heat exchange material may be easily removed from any heat exchange compartment 28 upon removal of the detachable cover plates 85.

The regenerative preheater described above is simple and compact in construction and may carry a relatively large mass of effective heat transfer surface in a small space. It may also be ruggedly constructed and with the arrangements disclosed is adapted for use with gaseous fluids at high pressures.

What I claim is:

1. A regenerative heater having a generally cylindrical casing closed at opposite ends with gas inlet and outlet ducts connecting into the central portions of opposite ends of said casing; an annular heat exchange core in said casing bounded by inner and outer circular walls concentric with said casing and dividing the interior thereof into a centrally located circular lluid chamber surrounded by said core and an annular manifold space located outwardly of said core between it and said casing; radial members subdividing said core into a plurality of wedge shaped compartments for containing foramin-v ous heat absorbing material; circumferential rows of fluid v ports so formed in the said inner circular wall adjacent the ends of said casing as to place the interior of said compartments in communication at the ends of said casing with said central space; radially extending walls dividing said manifold space into an inlet manifold and into an outlet manifold; an air inlet duct connected to one of said manifolds and an air outlet duct connected to the other manifold; means forming liuid conduits extending through said core from both said manifolds to said central chamber; a central partition subdividing said central chamber into an air inlet chamber communicating with the radial conduits extending from said inlet manifold and an air outlet chamber in communication with the air conduits extending to said air outlet manifold; iluid distributing valves located in said central fluid chamber in positions adjacent the ends of said casing, said valves formed with fluid passages communicating with said gas inlet and outlet and placing them in communication with the ports of certain of said compartments and other passages placing the ports of other compartments in cornmunication with said central air inlet and outlet chambers; a pair of diaphragms spaced axially of said casing and extending in opposite directions from the sides of said partition to said inner circular wall member, one at a level adjacent one of said valves and the other spaced axially therefrom at a level adjacent the other of said valves for closing olf said air inlet chamber from the central space adjacent said one valve and closing off said air outlet chamber from the central portion of said chamber at the opposite end of said casing adjacent said other valve, and means for rotating said valves in synchronism to simultaneously direct heating gas through certain of said compartments and air through other compartments.

2. A regenerative heater having a generally cylindrical casing closed at opposite ends with gas inlet and outlet ducts connecting into the central portions of opposite ends of said casing; and annular heat exchange core in said casing bounded by inner and outer circular walls concentric withv said casing and dividing the interior thereof into a centrally located circular lluid chamber surrounded by said core and an annular manifold space located outwardly of said core between it and said casing; radial members subdividing said core into a plurality of wedge shaped compartments for containing foraminous heat absorbing material; lluid ports so formed in the said inner circular wall adjacent the ends of said casing as to place the interior of said compartments in communication at the ends of said casing with said central space; diametrically aligned radially extending partitions dividing said manifold space into an inlet manifold and into an outlet manifold; an air inlet duct connected to one of said manifolds and an air outlet duct connected to the other manifold; means forming fluid conduits extending through said core from both said manifolds to said central chamber; a central diametrical partition aligned with said radial partitions and subdividing said central chamber into an air inlet chamber communicating with the radial conduits extending from said inlet manifold and an air outlet chamber in communication with the air conduits extending to said air outlet manifold; Huid distributing valves located in said central fluid chamber in positions adiacent the ends of said casing, said valves formed with fluid passages communicating with said gas inlet and outlet and placing them in communication with the ports of certain of said compartments and other passages placing the ports of other compartments in communication with said central air inlet and outlet chambers; a pair of diaphragms spaced axially of said casing and extending in opposite directions from the sides of said diametrical partition to said inner circular wall member, one at a level adjacent one of said valves and the other spaced axially therefrom at a level adjacent the other of said valves for closing off said air inlet chamber from the central space adjacent said one valve and closing off said an' outlet chamber from the central portion of said chamber at the opposite end of said casing adjacent said other valve: and means for rotating said valves in synchronism to simultaneously direct heating gas through certain of said compartments and air through other of said compartments.

3. A regenerative air preheater as recited in claim l wherein each of said rotary valves comprises ring members axially spaced to engage said inner circular wall member at either side of a circumferential row of ports therein; transverse diaphragms extending between said rings in symmetrical relation with respect to the axis of rotation of said valve; a web member closing the space between said diaphragms at one side edge thereof; and other webs extending between said diaphragms at their other side edges and one of said ring members.

References Cited in the lile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,884,617 Dow Oct. 25, 1932 2,540,733 Holm Feb. 6, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 249,152 Great Britain Dec. 2, 1926 270,759 Great Britain May 9, 1927 

